Crowley takes delivery of ConRo ship

Built by VT Halter Marine, El Coquí can carry containers and roll-on, roll-off cargo and is fueled with liquefied natural gas.    Crowley Maritime Corp. last week took delivery of El Coquí, one of the world’s first combination container/roll-on, roll-off (ConRo) ships fueled with liquefied natural gas, from shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc.
   The ship is the first of two LNG-fueled ConRo ships being built for Crowley’s service between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. El Coquí will make its maiden voyage to San Juan later this month.
   Construction of sister ship Taino is well under way at VT Halter Marine’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. It is scheduled to enter service later this year.
   The ships are able to transport up to 2,400 TEUs of containerized cargo at a cruising speed of 22 knots. A wide range of container sizes and types will be accommodated, including 53 feet by 102 inches, high-capacity containers, up to 300 refrigerated containers and a mix of about 400 cars and larger vehicles in the enclosed, ventilated and weather-tight Ro/Ro decks.
   Tom Crowley, chairman and chief executive of Crowley, said the company has “dedicated significant time, effort and more than $550 million, which includes these new ships, to transform our Puerto Rico shipping and logistics services to world-class standards.”
   Crowley said the use of LNG will eliminate sulphur oxide and particulate matter emissions, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 92 percent and result in a 35 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions when compared with current fuel.